Family Fear
by Frodo B
Summary: This is probably what might happen if Zim was adopted...
1. Zim's Nightmare Begins

Zim's Nightmare Begins  
  
It was a normal Saturday afternoon,Zim walked down the street,getting his daily exercise.Dib was out of town that weekend,for some family outing,so Zim could relax and enjoy his walk.He decide to stop in the local grocery store, to pick up a few groceries.He grabbed a shopping basket and filled it with:cupcakes,bubble gum,Code Red Mt. Dew,sandwich meat and bread.People stared at him as he stood in line at the register.He thought to himself "I guess these humans don't see many green,12 year old boys much."He payed for the food and headed home.When he arrived home,he noticed a hunter green minivan with dark tinted windows parked in front of his house."Strange"Zim muttered to himself.Not realizing the occupants of the van were in his home,he casually walked inside.He stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed a man probably in his 30's,and a young woman sitting beside him.The man wore a brown suit and carried a brown briefcase.He had dark brown hair and brown eyes.The woman had a navy blue dress,blue high heels,and a navy blue clutch purse.She had beautiful golden blonde, waist length hair and sparkling blue eyes.They were talking to G.I.R.,Zim's little hyperactive robot.Zim tried to get out of the house before the three spotted him,but didn't suceed."Ah Zim,hello" the man said."I am David Swartz and this is my partner,Maria Vancouver" "Hello Zim"Maria said warmly."Uh...Hi?"Zim replied nervously,while thinking"OH NO!!!!" "It has come to our attenton that you have no parents,is this correct?" Maria asked Zim."Yes...yes it is"Zim said softly.He glared at G.I.R.,who was watching this with frightened eyes.Zim softened a bit,then turned and looked at David and Maria."Then we have no choice but to remove you from this home. David said.Zim looked at Maria pleadingly,she cast her eyes downward,"Grab what you want to take,and say good bye to your robot"She said solemnly."Wha???NO!!!!!"Zim yelled,he was petrified."Master don't leave me!!No please don't leave"G.I.R. cried.Zim cried too,as he headed upstairs to his room.Tears blurred his vision as he stuffed some clothes,two books,a picture of him and G.I.R.,and his laptop into a suitcase.He dragged the suit case down the stairs.David looked around,and Maria looked like she would cry.Zim gave G.I.R. a hug,and whispered"There are plenty of cupcakes and bubble gum for you,I'll be back soon".But Zim didn't know when he would come back,if he did."Time to go now Zim"David said."NO please NO!!"Zim pleaded. G.I.R. screamed,cried and waved,not nowing what to do, as Maria and David dragged a kicking and screaming Zim away from the base to the van,helped him in,then drove away.  
  
To Be Continued........ 


	2. Meadowlark Orphanage

MeadowLark Orphanage  
  
Zim sniffled as they drove down the highway, wondering to himself if his alien life would ever be normal again. He wondered what lay ahead for him.  
  
Hearing the sniffling sound from the backseat,Maria offered him a piece of peppermint candy."Maria thinks candy solves all children's problems,"David thought. "Can you answer a few questions?"asked Maria."Do I have a choice?"Zim retorted. Ignoring the snappy comeback,Maria asked "Are you allergic to anything?" "Yeah...water." "I've never met anyone allergic water!" David replied. "Well,you've never met me before,now have you?" "Oh great, now how's he gonna take a bath?"David pondered. Maria continued to ask him questions,"Do you have asthma or other breathing problems?" "No,do you?" Once again,ignoring Zim's arrogance,she figured this was enough questioning,for now. "We're here!" "Uh...where's here?" asked Zim. "Meadowlark Orphanage for Boy's & Girls."It's the best orphange in Florida!" "Well, if you like it here so much,why don't you live here?And I'll go home!"Zim wailed. "You'll be staying here until we can find you a new home."  
  
Zim looked up at the building,a brick,3 story tall structure.Above the name "MeadowLark Orphanage" was a picture of a bird with a short tail, a yellow chest and a black crescent below it's neckline. "That's a meadowlark,"Maria whispered to Zim. After inquiring within,they were informed that everyone was away on an outing,and that they should return after lunch.  
  
Lunch was served at McDonald's,courtesy of David, the last of the big spenders. Zim could barely choke the "cow burger" down. Even though the soothing shake felt good going down his throat,he was disappointed to find out it too, came from a cow.  
  
On the drive back to the orphanage, Zim pondered his predicament.The outcome looking very grim to him.  
  
At the orphanage,they were ushered into the headmistress's office. Zim was suprised to see it was a bright and cheery room.This raised his spirits...but not much. "Zim,this is Elen Shepherd,the headmistress." Zim looked up to see a suprisingly slender, one might say skinny,young woman.She had shoulder length auburn hair,with bright hazel eyes,and wore of all things,a green jumpsuit."Hello Zim,nice to meet you."Elen said,bringing Zim back to earth."Welcome to your new,temporary home."  
  
Zim could not stand this any longer. "I don't want to live here,I had a home until you snatched me away from it!"He turned and glared at Maria and David,"I was doing fine until you two showed up!" "Oh! you poor dear," Elen expressed with true sympathy."We'll come to check up on you twice a week"David explained. "Good-bye for now" David and Maria said in unison."Good-bye forever,I hope"Zim said weakly. He was on the verge of tears as he watched them drive away,but he knew he couldn't shed tears...after all he was allergic to water. Elen placed her hand on his shoulder as she led him upstairs to his new room. 


	3. Hans

Hans  
  
Elen left him alone to unpack his measly belongings that he had hastily packed. The room consisted of 2 rows of 3 beds,with a small chest at the end of each bed. There was one large window over looking a crystal blue lake. "Agh! Water!" Zim said to himself "Note to self,stay away from window,just in case one of these human slugs give me a pusshh in the right direction."  
  
All at once the boys,who were to share this so called room,came hurriedly into the room.They stopped short,crashing into each other. "Hello my name is Zim,I am a perfectly normal human worm baby, don't mess with me, I won't mess with you and we'll get along juuuust fiiine."  
  
The boys turned and fled from the room. "Mwahahahahaha,"  
  
laughed Zim,maniacally. He stopped abruptly when he saw a boy standing alone in the room. "What a brave little slug he is." "Hallo,Ich heiBe Hans,Wie heiBst du?" Zim's eyes bulged,as he backed into a corner. "Y..You're from the p..planet Gibber!!!! Prepare to die! Now where's my ray gun? Oh jumping jellybeans! I forgot to pack it!"  
  
"Nein,Nein,I'm from Germany!" "Oh, only an Earthonoid," Zim muttered; "Of course he's not a Gibbley, they have 3 eyes!" "Hey human, Yes you, you speak English?" "Ya,Ya, I speak english." "Then let's hear some, comprende?"  
  
Hans showed Zim which bed was to be his, then helped him put his things in the chest. They sat on the bed and talked. Hans wanted to know all about Zim, and for some reason Zim felt compelled to answer this strange little boy's questions, maybe it was Hans' courage. Zim told Hans all about himself, of course leaving out the fact he was an alien. "Why do you have green skin?" asked Hans. "It's a skin condition" was the reply Zim most oftenly gave.  
  
"Now it's my turn for questions" Zim said."Have you ever thought about escaping this place?" "Ya,but where would we go?" "To my house" was Zim's reply."You could live there with me!"  
  
"DING DING DING" "What's that?!?" Zim frantically asked "The dinner bell,let's go eat"  
  
Zim composed himself quickly. "Uh...I knew that." 


	4. The Lake

The Lake  
  
Later the next day,the other kids decided to go swimming. That idea was far from Zim's agenda.There was noway he was getting near THAT lake. His mind was on something else,mainly escaping. Maybe that's why he didn't see the soccer ball come flying right at him. WHAM! Hitting him in the back of the head,sending him rolling head-over-heels down the small hill he had been sitting on,right into the shallow end of the lake.  
  
"Someone call 9-1-1" shouted a young girl. The children came running,only to back away as fast as they had come.What they saw was the new kid,turning a crimson red,with smoke billowing from his seemingly boiling skin. Zim began screaming"wo wo esaelp pleh em,teg em attuo ereh!" in his native tongue,which of course no one understood.  
  
Zim tried to get up by himself but was unable.The next thing he remembered,was waking up in his bed.Hans was there,sitting in a chair beside the bed,with a deep look of concern and compassion on his face. "Paste,paste,paste" whispered Zim "Must have paste" But Hans did not understand. Zim fell back into a fretful sleep.  
  
The next morning while everyone was at breakfast, Zim asked Hans to show him where the storage room was.  
  
"Was Mochest du,da?" "English please!?!" "Oops, I meant to say, what do you want to do there?" "Paste" was all Zim would say. "Ok man,let's get to it!" said Hans.  
  
They quietly headed to the storage room,making sure they weren't seen.When they arrived,Zim took out a bobby pin,and skillfully picked the lock. "CLICK" one try was all it took,and the door was open. "Let's get the paste and get the heck outta dodge." "Dodge? Dodge what?" Hans asked as he looked around.But Zim was already halfway down the hall. "What choo want paste for?" asked Hans. "For the next time" replied Zim with a smirk. 


	5. Virginia Ferguson

Virginia Ferguson  
  
  
  
"Wow that was a great weekend at Busch Gardens!" Dib exclaimed as he threw his backpack on the floor of his room. "It was ok." said Gaz,Dib's older sister. "Whatever. I wonder what Zim's doing, I'll check on him" Dib said as he turned on a SpyCam reciever. "Ugh,can't you leave him alone "Gaz muttered irritably. "No! Hey look he's not home.I'll use my computer to track him down.Computer look for subject Zim." Searching. Zim found at MeadowLark Orphanage. "WHAT! orphanage!This is great! Computer,tap into security,show video of what's happening."........  
  
"Zim,there's someone here to see you." "Yeah..Who?"  
  
"Your mother." "My What? No way my mother could be here, this human dodo has finally flown over the cookoo's nest" thought Zim. Zim looked up to see a woman with raven black hair,and emerald green eyes,standing beside Elen Shepherd "This woman isn't my mom, What's going on here?" "Zim, This is Ms. Ferguson, She is going to adopt you," explained Elen. " NO,NO!" screamed Zim "Will this nightmare ever end?" But no matter how loudly Zim protested, the papers were signed and Zim was on his way to yet another home.  
  
"Zim's being adopted?" asked Gaz "Uh Dib...Diib?" Dib's face was fixed on the computer screen. A smile tugged at his lips, then broke into a big grin. "My arch nemisis adopted by, haha..... Virginia Ferguson, mom's best friend." "I know where she lives and I'm gonna spy on them, heehee!" Sang Dib."C'mon Gaz let's go." He grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her out of the house. Dib ran back into the house. "I almost forgot my SpyCam, and my headset." "What are you gonna do when we get there?" "Once I get inside,Man am I gonna do...something!"  
  
"Zim,honey I ran you a nice warm bubble bath." "Eep!  
  
I need paste!" Zim ran to his new room and grabbed his suitcase. He had stashed a good supply of his life-saving paste in it. He grabbed a bottle and smeared the goop all over himself. Easing himself into the warm, bubbly water,he relaxed for the first time in a looong time. "Now I know why these humans enjoy this! It's relaxing."  
  
Meanwhile,in the living room,Virginia decides it's safe for her to break out her hot sauce and cancer sticks. After all Zim was taking a bath,and she had plenty of time.  
  
While she was enjoying her beer and cigarettes,she thought about the love of her life, Richard Swindell,the pool guy. "Maybe I'll invite him to dinner tonight,and he can meet Zim." She slurred. So she called him up and set the date,a smile crossed her drunken face as he accepted her invitation. "Yes! I'd better get everything ready...starting with Zim" 


	6. A Date With The Devil

A Date With The Devil  
  
Dib and Gaz arrived at Virginia's house. "OK we're here so, how can we get in?" Dib asked "Leave that to me" Gaz answered "I'll run up to the door, get her attention, while you sneak in through that sliding glass door,plant the bugs then get out." "Genious Gaz!" "Keep it down" Gaz ran up to the door, rang the doorbell, then took off. Virginia jumped up from her resting place on the couch. She dragged herself over to the door. "Who is it? Darn neighborhood pranksters, always bothering me." She went back to the couch and collasped in a drunken faint. Meanwhile, Dib snuck in through the door, as planned. "Gotta hurry" He planted bugs in: the living room, Zim's bedroom, the kitchen, and Virginia's  
  
bedroom. He snuck back out, making sure not to wake Virginia. "Did you plant the bugs?" Yeah! Now let's go home and spy!" "Dib, You BUG me!"  
  
Virginia woke with a start. She looked up at the digital clock. "6:56, Oh my gosh, I've gotta get everything ready for tonight." She popped an Easy Bake chicken casserole into the oven, then started making a black forest cake. She then pulled out an elegant, pink floral dress, then pulled out another outfit. "Zim dear, are you almost done?" "Yeah, I'm getting out" Zim scrambled out of the tub, and dried off on a big fluffy towel. "I'm gonna have a dinner guest tonight, so you'll need to dress up, your outfit is in your room." "Kay" Zim walked in his room, but stopped and stared in horror. On his bed was a little boy's black suit, with matching tie, and black loafers. "Uh Miss Ferguson, what is this?" "It's your suit for tonight honey" "You actually expect me to wear this?" "Yes, Now PUT IT ON! Oh and another thing, from now on call me Mommy Dearest" "Yes Mommy Dearest." Trembling he put the disgusting suit on "Fix your hair too, Zim dear" He combed his "hair" until there wasn't a single hair out of place. "Aw you look so adorable." Virginia said sweetly She set the table with the best china,and beatiful dinner candles.She placed the dinner on the table, and placed the black forest cake with cream cheese icing,into the fridge to cool. "DING DONG" "I hope that isn't anymore pranksters, Zim get the door" Zim opened the door. Standing there was a man wearing a gray suit and tie. He carried a bouquet of roses and a bottle of champagne. "Who the heck are you?" Zim asked "I am Richard Swindell...You must be Zim" "Wow You're very observant." Richard frowned at Zim's remark "Look kid I...." "Richey" Virginia exclaimed "Ginny" Richard said with a smile. They embraced for a moment. "I brought you these" "Oh they're beatiful" "And this is for later" Zim cocked an unseen eyebrow. "Well let's go eat before it all get's cold" Virginia said.  
  
"YUCK! Too much mushyness!" Dib exclaimed. "I think it's romantic...I mean whatever." Gaz said as she blushed deeply. "Ya know you scare me sometimes Gaz" "Quiet! Can't you see I'm on the last level of my game, If I lose, I'll make you wish you had never been born" "Gulp, Ok, I'll spy some more and leave you to your game."  
  
"What is this mess?" Zim thought. "The humans seem to be enjoying it, maybe it's not that bad." Virginia and Richard were chatting away, while Zim picked at his food. Richard then stood up,got down on one knee,and pulled a small box out of his pocket. Virginia's eye's lit up at this. "Ginny, this can't wait any longer" He opened the box to show a stunning diamond ring "Will you marry me?" Virginia looked like she would faint. Zim dropped his fork onto his plate. He had seen this many times before in movies, so he knew what she would say next. "I will!" "Then it settled, next Sunday we'll get married, until then, let's enjoy our night" "We'll be a family!"  
  
"Yeah a family straight from the pits of the abyss" Dib thought out loud "If ya can drink alchohol and enjoy it, your destiny is pre- determined." "C'mon Dib, Zim isn't drinking, I don't think he ever will, besides, they seem like good people" "Yeah, but still,I have a creepy feeling that something bad is gonna happen"  
  
Zim cleared the table, and watched Virginia and Richard outside taking a night time dip in the pool. "Zimmy dear, come swim with us." "I don't think so mommy dearest" Richard walked over to Zim. "Do what your mother told you to do" "No" "Then I'll throw you in" "Uh-oh" Richard picked Zim up, but Zim had other plans. "Hiya" Zim karate chopped Richard's arm, causing Richard to drop him on the patio table. When he hit the table, the bottle of champagne fell off the table and broke. "I'll kill you for that!!" He slapped Zim across the mouth, sending him flying into the wall behind him. "Zim, look what you did, you made Richey hurt his hand, Oh Richey are you alright?" Zim crawled into the house. He ran into the bathroom. He looked in the mirror, his lip was bleeding. He tore some toilet paper off and held it against his wound. He also had a nasty bruise. He crawled into bed, all he heard was Richard and Virginia outside splashing.  
  
"That was horrible, Poor Zim" Gaz said "We've gotta do something about this, Dib" "I know Gaz, It's a wonder he didn't knock Zim's fake eyes out. But who are we gonna get to help us?" "DAD" They said in unison. "When he get's home , we'll show him the video, Gaz, stay here and watch to see if anything else happens, I'm gonna go call Dad to find out when he's gonna get home" "Kay Dib, but hurry." 


	7. The Truth

The Truth  
  
"Hey Jane, is dad there? This is Dib. Ok I'll wait." "Hello?" "Dad, I need you" "The world needs me son" "I know, but this is important, remember that green kid Zim?" "Aw Yes the little foreign boy, what about him?" "Well he's been adopted by cruel people, they are abusing him, You need to come home and see this." "I'll be right there." Dib hung up. It would take his dad about 20 minutes to get home. "Dib, is dad gonna come home?" "Yeah, Did anything else happen?" "The adults got drunk, Zim went to sleep, other than that, no." "Dad should be home soon. As much as I detest Zim, I know that nobody should be hit that hard over a bottle of replaceable champagne."  
  
When Zim got up, it was about 10:00 am. "I wonder if they are still asleep." He walked into the living room, and his question was answered. They were asleep on the couch. He turned the TV off, and fixed himself something to drink. He heard Virginia stirring from her peaceful rest. "What time is it?" she wondered aloud. "It's 10:30 Mommy dearest" "Ok then, I'm going back to sleep." She conked out quickly. Unfortunatly, Richard woke up, and he wasn't in a good mood. "Hey brat, bring me a beer." Zim wanted to say get it yourself, but he was too afraid. "Yes sir" "Now that's what I want to hear." Zim opened the fridge and pulled out something that looked like the drink. He ran over to Richard and handed him the bottle. "You stupid idiot, this is root beer!" He punched Zim . Virginia woke up from Richard's yelling. "Now what did he do?" "He brought me a root beer, when I asked for beer" "Darn boy can't you tell the difference" "No" Zim whimpered. Richard smiled evily,"Then how about I show ya?" He grabbed him, and walked into the kitchen. Richard took out a beer, and set it on the counter. He opened the bottle of beer, and poured it down Zim's throat. The liquid burned as it went down. He hated beer, and vowed never to go around the mess again. When the bottle was empty, Zim felt sick. He turned and puked his guts out into the sink as Virginia and Richard stood over him laughing.  
  
"Dad has got to get home now, before they kill him" Gaz cried as she watched the scene. "H..how could they think that is funny, Gaz" They heard a commotion downstairs. "Alright, dad's home! Gaz rewind the tape" Dib raced down the stairs, grabbed his dad and ran back up. "Dad, You've got to see this" Dib played the tape for his dad. At the end, Professor Membrane, was silent, "Dib we are gonna do something drastic about this, we are going to the police with this. Now!"  
  
Zim was pale when he finished. Richard hit him hard on the back, causing him to fall off the counter. Richard laughed at Zim sprawled across the kitchen floor. Zim ran out the back door as fast as he could. He slipped and nearly slid into the pool. He heard Richard coming after him. "Get back in here, I'm not done with you yet." Zim tripped , giving Richard time to catch up with him. Richard reached out and grabbed Zim. "I'm gonna beat you to a pulp." Once inside, Virginia kicked, slapped, and punched every part of Zim. She punched him very hard in the eye, then stopped to catch her breath. Zim felt something come of his face, he twisted himself around so he faced the direction opposite of Virginia. He reached up to his right eye. Sure enough, his contact had fell out. He picked it up, and gripped it tightly. He smiled evily,"Now it's my turn" he thought as he turned back around toward Virginia. "Oh mom" "What?" she snapped her head around and screamed. Zim's ruby red eye stared at her. He reached up and pushed his wig off, and pulled his other contact out. "RICHARD" Virginia shrieked. "What is it Ginny, what did he do to.....AAAAHHH!!! What kind of monster are you!?!" "Mwahahahahaha" Zim laughed. Richard scrambled to the phone and called the police, "Hello 911 there is an alien in my house! I live at 1789 45 street, Bradenton, Florida" "You stay there you little freak!" Virginia screamed.The police arrived in 15 min. "I am Sargent Robert Oak, where is this alien at?" "In the living room" Zim popped his contacts back in and placed his wig back on. He folded his hands in his lap and smiled as the officers came in. "Daddy who are these men? What are they doing here? Are we having a party?" Sargent Oak turned to Richard and Virginia. "This is your alien?" "He can take his eyes out, and..and he has little antennae sticking out of his head when he takes his wig or whatever off." The officers started laughing. Richard ran over to Zim and tried to pry Zim's eye out. "Ow daddy, that hurts, please stop , I didn't do anything." Richard then tried to pull Zim's wig off. "Daddy please stop, it hurts." "Ok that's enough." Suddenly there was a knock on the door. one of the officers opened the door. Professor Membrane, Dib and Gaz stood there. "Officers, arrest those two abusive people."the professor said "We have the proof right here." Dib placed the tape in the VCR and Gaz pressed play. The officers watched the entire tape, and at the end their minds were made up on what to do. "Richard and Virginia, you are under arrest for child abuse, and promoting underage drinking. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you." The officers handcuffed the two and placed them in the police car. "But he's an alien, you've got to believe us."  
  
"Am I gonna have to go back to the orphanage?" Zim asked Sargent Oak. "I don't know, Who are your case workers?" "David Swartz and Maria Vancouver" "Ok, Zim you and I are gonna go down to the station and talk with them." "Should we come too?" Dib asked. "Yes I think you should, We'll need that tape for evidence." Zim got in the car with the Sargent. "Who knnows what gonna happen in the future, who knows where this path will lead" Zim Thought as they headed to the station. 


	8. The Nightmare Is Over

The Nightmare Is Over  
  
At the station, Miss Dawnya Kennedy,the secretary, called Maria and David to come over. When they arrived, the sargent talked to them,while Zim sat outside the office with Dawnya. He swung his feet, not paying attetion to the voices in the other room. "Thirsty?" Dawnya asked him. "A little." "Here" she handed him a can of Sprite. "Thanks" He gulped the soothing liquid. It felt much better than the beer from earlier. "Miss Dawnya, Do you know who is gonna try Virginia and Richard's case? " "Yes, Judge Erika Rootcellar." Suddenly the three came out, looking cheery. "Zim, you're going home" Maria said. "Yay, wait a minute, what's the catch?" "No catch, I'll just be coming to check up on you once a month" "HURRAY! I'm going home!!!"  
  
"It's so nice to be back home." Zim said as he looked at his home base. Then he suddenly remebered something, What happened to G.I.R.? He didn't have to wait long to find out. As soon as they pulled up, the little robot bounded out of the house. "MMAAASSTTTEEERR! You're home, I missed you, I missed you, I missed you!" "I missed you too G.I.R." "Well Zim, I'm glad everything's back to normal. Hopefully it will stay that way. Remember, on the first of the month, I'll come to make sure everything is alright. Ok?" "Ok!" "Yay now let's all go get some Pizza!!!" "Sure G.I.R., My treat!!" Maria said with a smile.  
  
After pizza, the group headed back to Zim's home. "Well, I guess this is good-bye for now,You take care Zim." "Yeah you too, Bye" Maria gave Zim a quick hug, and G.I.R. attached himself to her leg. "Bye to you too G.I.R." She said. After prying G.I.R. of her leg, Maria got back in her car and left. "Well G.I.R., I'm glad I'm home, now let's go try to conquer Earth" "Coming Master!" The two walked walked inside to prepare for what lie ahead.  
  
THE END 


End file.
